by FIlmInk Staff
Camera’s versatile design allowed filmmakers to capture challenging conditions on the water.
Blackmagic Design announced that the documentary Lo Invisible was shot with Blackmagic PYXIS 6K digital film camera, with DP Medardo Treviño relying on the camera’s cinematic quality and versatile design to capture stunning imagery amid harsh, constantly changing weather conditions.
Lo Invisible follows a group of fishermen living in Northern Mexico who form a community theatre collective where they play themselves and find a new form of resistance through their journey. The film was born from Treviño’s experience living with the fishermen and observing how representation, memory, and imagination transform the way they perceive themselves and their community.
“The documentary seeks to capture how art opens spaces of sensitivity, dignity, and belonging within everyday life,” Treviño said. “I’ve used Blackmagic Design cameras for more than ten years and always loved the texture, colours and flexibility I’m able to achieve with them. Blackmagic Design has been a constant companion throughout my filmmaking journey, whether as a screenwriter, editor or director, and it was a no brainer to select the PYXIS 6K to film this special project.”
Treviño’s brother Jorge Luis Treviño also served as DP, with the duo shooting the film in Blackmagic RAW, while DaVinci Resolve Studio was used for post production, including editing, color grading, and sound work. The PYXIS 6K allowed the brothers to capture shots inside small boats or walking alongside the fishermen with ease, due to the camera’s compact yet robust design. Its dual native ISO also proved to be beneficial as they were shooting in ever changing lighting conditions.
Treviño explained, “The PYXIS 6K allowed us to come close to the community by respecting their space and prioritising emotional closeness. Much of the documentary was filmed near water, on rivers and boats, and during long days where conditions were constantly changing. The camera’s dynamic range dual native ISO allowed us to work comfortably in an everchanging conditions without sacrificing cinematic quality. I was very impressed with its ability to preserve detail in both very low light and extremely high contrast outdoor scenes where we faced changing natural light, humidity, wind, and weather where it was important to react quickly without losing visual sensitivity.
“Visually, the intention was to isolate the faces from the landscape and completely avoid the tourist postcard feel that often appears when portraying territories in Northern Mexico or communities linked to water. More than showing the landscape as a visual spectacle, we wanted it to function as an emotional extension of those who inhabit the film.”
Shooting in 6K, the Treviño brothers rigged the PYXIS 6K so they could move quickly between different locations without losing stability or flexibility during long days of shooting. Their setup included a NiSi Cinema matte box, DZO lenses, and the Blackmagic PYXIS Monitor, which proved to be an essential tool due to its brightness and practicality during extreme outdoor settings.
Shooting in Blackmagic RAW also allowed them to preserve as much detail as possible during post production and to have freedom when constructing the final black and white treatment for the film within DaVinci Resolve Studio.
“One day we followed crab fishermen to the river from 4 a.m. until about 3 p.m. We experienced completely different lighting conditions: the darkness before dawn, the first reflections on the water, and then the harsh midday sun. That’s where Blackmagic RAW showed its strengths,” Treviño added. “We were able to recover great detail, both in the darkest moments of the early morning and in the brightest moments of midday, without breaking down the image texture. That was crucial because the documentary relied heavily on reacting to the moment, and we couldn’t control the natural lighting conditions.”
In post production, DaVinci Resolve Studio was beneficial as it allowed the team to collaborate remotely and all within the same software, ensuring a smooth and efficient process.
“I led post, with color grading handled by Paco Alanís, original music composed by Alex Useche, and sound design by Leonardo Gutiérrez. The workflow within DaVinci Resolve Studio allowed us to maintain a very practical dynamic,” Treviño said. “I exported sequences and work sessions from Resolve, then the sound team worked on the material, and finally the files were reintegrated into the project to continue finetuning the editing, music, and mixing within the same post production workflow.”
He continued, “Being able to edit, work with colour, develop soundscapes, and prepare exhibition materials within the same ecosystem greatly streamlined the creative process. We relied on the Fairlight page to create soundscapes, natural environments, and clean audio. The sound in this documentary was very important because we wanted the viewers to physically feel the river, the wind, and the silence surrounding the fishermen.”
“We’re very excited about this project and the results we’ve achieved,” he concluded. “‘Lo Invisible’ was born from living with these communities, so to see the project turn out the way it did brings us immense joy. Looking ahead, we’re thrilled to continue working on other exciting projects with Blackmagic Design.”
About Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, colour correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci colour correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com/au.
